Snow, Sleet, Cold Pack Icy Punch For Local Road Crews

BOSTON (CBS) - A combination of snow, sleet and bitter cold is creating challenges for local highway departments.

Newton's Director of Streets and Sidewalks Shane Mark anticipates that his crews will be working non-stop for the next 24 to 36 hours. They are using plows to scrape up ice-packed roads and salt to melt the ice.

"We had 6-plus inches of snow, with 8 to 10 hours of freezing precipitation with ice pellets, combined with the fact that we're at near-record low temperatures. With all that, our salt loses its effectiveness," Mark said.

In Framingham, a winter "war room" of sorts is still operational, with screens and sensors monitoring the conditions of the roads.

Framingham Highway Director Dan Nau said his crews combined liquid magnesium with salt to combat the roughly 2 inches of sleet his city received. Now, it is the nearly 90 miles of ice-covered sidewalks in Framingham that are causing crews issues as they fight to clear them before Tuesday.

"Once that sleet comes, the trucks are rolling around the clock. They just do not get the opportunity to take a break, and we go through a lot of material," Nau said.

At least one school district is impacted by the ice and bitter cold. Brockton schools will open one hour late on Tuesday so that crews can clear their parking lots.